Thanksgiving, Vegan Style

I had a dear friend who has long since left this world, Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday.  She told me there's no presents, no hassle, no mess, no fuss.  A holiday to celebrate gratitude.  She loved it. Now, saying no mess-no fuss is relative.  She would plan for weeks, and cook for days, to prepare for Thanksgiving.  But, she also was a full time domestic goddess, so such work was more feasible for her.

I'm essentially in the same boat these days (full time domestic goddess), but planning for weeks, cooking for days, is not on my list of things to do. I've got far too many other ways I'd rather spend my time, and far too many other pressing obligations. I'm a gal who's all about the K.I.S.S. philosophy (keep it simple, stupid).  This applies for me on holidays as well.

Thanksgiving is a few short days away.  The traditional holiday meal involves a carcass being displayed on the center of a beautifully set table, surrounded by people oo-ing and ah-ing over it.  That is so not for me.

If you, or someone you love, is making an effort to go veg, please don't get derailed over the holidays.  If you really want to keep it simple, go to your local market, and pick up a Tofurkey.  For about $10 you can buy a Tofurkey with a tub of gravy, which will feed 4.  If you want something larger, buy more.  I no longer buy the Tofurkey dinners, I only buy the Tofurkey roast on it's own.  While I appreciate their efforts, the dinner box has items there I won't use, because the other happy vegan wants his mashed potatoes instead.  Some years its dumplings in the box, other years its something else. Now there are also beautiful products called Field Roast.  They are divine, trust me on this.  They make something called a Celebration Roast, same philosophy as Tofurkey.... a roast stuffed with things.  I am a fan of Field Roast as well.  The price point is a little higher than Tofurkey, and the product is a little smaller.  It's money well spent.

Some people don't like prepared foods.  So, if that's not your thing, here's where you can really simplify.  Buy a beautiful squash, any squash will do.  Then cut it, take the seeds out and roast it with a little Earth Balance (soy margarine, but also now available in non-soy coconut, and olive oil for those avoiding soy).  You can stuff your squash if you want..... fill it with things like cooked brown rice, quinoa, dried cranberries, raisins, and nuts.  Or, really simplify things, and just use stuffing you made (of course using vegetable broth) from your own recipe, or perish the thought, from a bag.

For sides dishes you really don't have to change anything.  Mashed potatoes are the same, just use non-dairy substitutes like soy milk, coconut milk or almond milk instead of the moo-cow, and non-dairy margarine (choose soy free or soy it up).  You can even get fancy and whip your potatoes with roasted garlic and good quality olive oil.... delicious!

Roast veggies as you would, just w/o the butter.  Carrots, beets, yams. All good to go with a little olive oil and brown sugar.  Oh, and if you really want those candied sweet potatoes, go the Earth Balance route, and then also buy a bag of vegan marshmallows.... Dandies are the brand I use here at Deer Run when I'm going for the marshmallow.

Salad is vegan.  Skip the blue cheese dressing, and make your own oil and vinegar dressing.  Or, you can buy vegan versions of the creamy stuff.

If you need to substitute milk, use soy milk, almond milk or coconut milk.  I don't like rice milk, it is too thin.  I always choose organic, and always choose unsweetened.

If you need to substitute butter, buy Earth Balance.  As I said its available in soy or non-soy versions.

If you need to substitute eggs, this depends on what are you doing with the eggs.  If you are baking, and need an egg substitute, about 1/4 cup applesauce or mashed banana per egg is a fair substitute. Personally I tend to use either 1 tablespoon of ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons of water (equals 1 egg) OR appropriate measures of a product called EnerG egg replacer.  EnerG is carried by stores like Whole Foods, and health food stores.  It is a egg substitute for baking.  It is NOT an egg substitute for scrambling.  I like the flax substitute for things like fruit cakes or muffins (carrot, apple, blueberry, etc) and the EnerG egg replacer for things that have a more delicate crumb like non-fruit cakes (yellow, chocolate, coconut) and cookies.

As a vegan, I promise if I came to your house and you offered me a salad with vinaigrette, roasted squash, some mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables, I'd be in  heaven. Wait, but what about dessert?  You can bake apples, very easy with earth balance, brown sugar and nuts.  You can make a pudding with non-dairy milk (I'll give you a link at the end of this post for a helpful recipe site).  You can make your own regular pie with a vegan crust (yes, they are available frozen at the grocer, many are accidentally vegan); just ditch the butter and use Earth Balance in your pie.  Truth be told, one of my favorite desserts of all time is a fresh orange and some chocolate. Not all chocolate is vegan, but almost all mainstream grocery stores have some vegan chocolate bars for sale. Be on the look out for non-vegan ingredients like whey, milk, milk solids, butter, milk fat, and other dairy type words.  If you're not sure, simply ask.  And, if you can't find vegan chocolate, skip it.  I love oranges, and am always pretty darn happy when I have the good fortune of a beautiful organic orange before me.

Keep it simple.  No one should spend the day in the kitchen when family and friends want to celebrate with you.

A really simple vegan web site for recipes is www.vegweb.com  And, a vegan magazine called VegNews has an on line presence that has great Thanksgiving ideas and recipes at www.vegnews.com  From there, click the "food" link on the header, and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Don't over complicate things. Please spare yourself the grief.  And, speaking of sparing..... please spare the life of another sentient being.  Our good fortune doesn't have to come at the expense of the life of another.

Here I'll be roasting a tofurkey, and making the other happy vegan his requisite mashed potatoes and gravy.  I'll make some random veggies, probably roasting some carrots and squash.  We'll have a beautiful simple salad of baby greens, and if we can even consider dessert, it will be fruit or a cookie with some coffee.  If you want a simple vegan cupcake recipe, or cookie recipe, I would look to either of those 2 web sites and choose your recipe.  And, if you have any questions about something, I honestly and truly encourage you to email me at deerrunbb@aol.com  I promise you I will help you as best as I can with any guidance you need with your veg holiday plans.

Vegan food on Thanksgiving really is where it's at, hooray for compassion, and hooray for simplicity!